If Cleveland’s Kevin Love has any animosity toward Dwyane Wade he’s not showing it

LOS ANGELES – Cleveland forward Kevin Love will miss Sunday’s All-Star game because of a broken hand, but it was an illness that forced him to leave a recent game and miss practice the next day that turned into a firestorm.

Dwyane Wade was the first player to challenge Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue to explain why Love left the bench during the Cavaliers’ 148-124 loss to Oklahoma City on Jan. 20 and missed practice. Wade also played a role in calling a team meeting that included a lot of finger pointing, according to Cleveland.com.

Wade since has been traded to the Heat.

Love was asked about his former teammate today during the All-Star media day and said Wade wasn’t the only player to take his concerns to Lue.

“This is my fourth year in Cleveland,” Love said. “I think there were a number of guys that used Ty Lue as a sounding board and wanted to bounce ideas off him and D-Wade happened to be one of those guys.”

Wade first made an issue of Love leaving the game and missing practice the next day, “challenging” Lue to disclose where Love was, according to the story. The team meeting turned ugly with players accusing Love of faking an illness, according to reports, and players turning on each other.

Love, though, denied he sensed any disagreements within the team.

“If there was a lot of friction, I didn’t see it,” Love said. “I know guys were pissed when we were losing during the time that it happened. I know a lot of guys were upset with the way things were going.”

The Cavaliers (34-22) lost 10-of-13 games during one stretch. They enter the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak.

Love has missed the last seven games and is expected to be out another month.

Wade joined the Cavaliers in September after reaching a buyout with the Chicago Bulls. He was recruited to Cleveland by LeBron James. Wade and James were always friends and became closer after the two played together in Miami for four years, winning two titles.

But after Wade was traded to Miami, James was quoted as saying he was “happy as hell” for his friend. Wade said last week that his heart was always in Miami.